Aoi
by SakuraFlowers99
Summary: After being chased through the snowdrifts and alleys of Tokyo, a girl arrives at the Scepter 4 headquarters. Despite being a Strain with unknown powers and motives who has amnesia, the girl requests to stay and aid Reisi Munakata who saved her life. As she lives alongside her Clansmen, the girl, now called Aoi Yatogami, searches for who she is and what she desires to accomplish.
1. Chapter 1

**Aoi Chapter 1: A Desperate Chase**

"Hey! Get back here, you brat!"

Gasping for breath, the girl dashed through the snowdrifts and pushed against the howling winds. She glanced at the gray buildings that loomed from all angles and realized that she was close to being trapped.

"Call for the guys on the other side to block the north alley end! We almost have her!"

Just as the leading pursuer chasing after her tried to grab her shoulders, the girl disappeared in a silver flash. She reemerged as a fox with black fur, surprising her pursuers. The leader stumbled in surprise and tripped the men following behind him.

"Where are you? We need you over in this alley! She's getting away!" The leader barked into his phone. He growled in frustration as he slowly got up from the ground. Watching the fox scramble away, the leader knew that he would get in deep trouble with the boss who had ordered all of his men to capture the girl.

As the fox continued to press forward, her shoulders began to tremble. Even though she ran faster to warm herself, the fox's entire body began to shake. She gradually felt her eyes droop and had to drag herself with her front paws across the snow.

"Gates…I wonder if anyone lives there," the fox murmured as she approached a marble building with large columns and an imposing front gate. She poked her paw through the fence and winced in pain as she hit the force field.

"I guess I'm going to have to use this," the fox whispered as she focused her mind. She could feel her last bit of power, a mere fraction of the power she had as a Strain, coursing through her arteries to her paws. The force field then promptly shattered, allowing the fox to slip through the bars and collapse on the ground.

"I need to go further. I'll get caught if I stay right in front of the gate…" She gasped. The fox struggled to get to her paws and managed to make it a few feet towards the bushes. As she saw the world sway and shake before her, the fox fell to the ground, unconscious and in deep pain.

After a few hours, she suddenly heard the crunching of snow and a shadow of a man looming over her. Although the man had black hair, sharp eyes, and glasses, he didn't appear to be part of the group that was chasing the fox earlier.

"Hmmm…What an interesting little fox. I think I'll take you inside with me," the man spoke with a thoughtful smile on his face as he bundled the fox up into his coat pocket and entered the Scepter 4 headquarters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Aoi Chapter 2**

Sunlight beams broke through the large glass windows of the room. The snow from the night before sparkled brightly in the sun, almost too brightly for one's eyes. The fox was jolted awake by three knocks on the door.

"Captain? We're here, sir!" Two men strode into the room, their boots clicking on the floor. One had orange bangs and determined green eyes. The other had long, rumpled green hair and steady black eyes. Both men wore long blue coats with shiny buttons and sabers on their left side. The fox opened her eyes and viewed them cautiously through slitted silver eyes before closing them again.

"Why did the captain ask us to come here if he isn't here himself? I was in the middle of my breakfast!" The orange-haired man asked the man next to him.

"I don't know. The captain is never this late," the man replied as he looked around the office. He suddenly noticed that on the captain's desk where reports would typically sit was an animal, a fox to be exact. His eyes widened and he walked over quietly to the captain's desk.

"Domyoji, that's a fox. What is it doing here? Unless…if the captain himself brought the fox in," the man murmured thoughtfully. The orange-haired man, Andy Domyoji, followed behind and stared in disbelief.

"It's probably a Strain, Akiyama. Why else would the captain bring it inside Scepter 4?" Domyoji replied. "I'm sure he has plans for it, seeing as we take care of the Strains in Tokyo…Woah!"

As the fox heard that, she leaped to her feet and rushed out of the open door. Her mind was whirling with the words, "Seeing as we take care of the Strains in Tokyo…" Akiyama and Domyoji chased after her as she raced down the hallway.

"I can't stay here, it's not safe. I'm going to be trapped again, just like before!" The fox dodged between the legs of workers and Clansmen, knocking over boxes and piles of papers. The hallways became filled with shouting, sounds of flying paper, and clattering shoes. Rounding a corner, she finally found a safe place to hide: a lounge room with TVs and empty tables and chairs. The fox snuck in and after looking both ways, she leaped onto the table, the only table occupied at the moment, with a glowing computer and warm bacon and lettuce sandwich.

"There's food!" In order to properly enjoy her meal, the fox transformed back into her normal self. She was a tiny girl with long black hair and round silver eyes. The girl wore a simple white robe, nothing fancy since she had been on the run for the last week or so. Grabbing the sandwich, she stuffed it in her mouth hungrily, gulping frantically as if she hadn't eaten for weeks.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of two boots on the floor. Looking up, the girl saw a young man with rumpled black hair, cold blue eyes, and black glasses. He wore a frown on his face and his eyebrows arched upwards.

"That's my sandwich you're eating. Now, tell me why you are in this room and eating my sandwich."


	3. Chapter 3

**Aoi Chapter 3**

For a moment, the girl's bright silver eyes held the young man's unflinching, stern blue eyes. And then, the moment shattered with the collective realization of how awkward the situation was.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have eaten your sandwich. Umm… I would pay you, but I don't think I have any money," the girl bowed, her head hanging in embarrassment.

"Whatever, it's just a sandwich a coworker gave to me. You look hungry so keep eating," the young man replied bluntly. He pulled up a chair next to hers, opened his laptop, and commenced a storm of keyboard tapping.

"What's your name? I've never seen someone as young as you here in Scepter 4. Are you someone's daughter or little sister?" The young man inquired, not stopping to take a break from his typing.

"I'm not. I found myself here today for the first time and got chased all over the building. And for some reason, I can't remember my name." The girl murmured as she wiped her mouth and cleaned the crumbs off her robe.

As the girl continued to eat, the young man briefly stopped his typing to scrutinize her expression. Finding nothing besides honesty in her face, he let out a sigh of boredom and turned back to his laptop.

"Well, it's not important that I know because I don't exactly care. But for what it's worth, my name is Fushimi Saruhiko." The young man scowled as he handed her a napkin.

"Try not to make the floor too dirty, I'll have to clean it up myself later. I should've honestly taken the day off today if I knew I would be in this kind of mess…"

The girl busily gathered the crumbs into a pile and wrapped the napkin around it. "Sorry about the mess…Saruhiko-niisan. I'll make it up to you, I promise—"

At that moment, the door burst open, startling the girl and causing her to scatter all of the crumbs across the floor. As she attempted to clean the floor, Akiyama and Domyoji strode into the room in a leisurely yet guarded manner. With constantly turned heads and flickering eyes, the two scanned every corner of the room for the tiny black fox that had disappeared from the captain's room.

"Hey Fushimi-san, have you seen a fox around here? We've been looking for one all morning!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Aoi Chapter 4**

"A fox? Sure you guys aren't hallucinating in the early morning? Why would a fox show up in Scepter 4?" Fushimi answered skeptically.

He watched as the girl crawled under the table and swept the crumbs into a neat pile. For some strange reason, she kept turning her face away from Akiyama and Domyoji as if she was afraid of them recognizing her. The two hadn't noticed her yet, but they were getting closer and closer to the table that she was currently hiding under.

"We scared off a fox in the captain's office this morning. It appeared to be a Strain so we assumed that the captain was going to do some more questioning before he handed it off to the authorities for handling. But we haven't found it at all and the captain will be back in half an hour." Akiyama noted with a worried expression on his face.

"I haven't seen anything here since the last time you came and bothered me with the sandwich, Akiyama-san." Fushimi spoke in bitter tones, wondering why everything was going wrong on this particular morning. As soon as he had that thought, the chaos began to unfold as Domyoji spotted the girl underneath the table.

"Who's this little brat? I haven't seen her before." Domyoji laughed as he grabbed her arm and pulled her up so she was standing on her feet.

The little girl averted her eyes to avoid eye contact, but Domyoji was astonished to see her illuminating silver eyes. Those eyes. Those eyes were those of the black fox that has disappeared from before. Immediately, Domyoji placed his hand on his sword handle and unsheathed his sword. Akiyama glanced over in shock as he heard the cold and unforgiving swish of Domyoji's blade.

"Oi, Domyoji! Cut it out! What are you doing right now—" Akiyama shouted as Domyoji waved his hand in dismissal. Raising the sword up to the girl's chest, Domyoji stared down the girl who stood frozen in horror.

"Step away from the girl, Fushimi-san," Domyoji warned. "She's the black fox we're looking for. She's the missing Strain in Scepter 4."


	5. Chapter 5

**Aoi Chapter 5**

"Her?" Fushimi wondered as he watched Akiyama unsheathe his blade as well. Akiyama usually held his cool quite well, but seeing Domyoji and him losing their cool made Fushimi wonder if the issue was much more serious than he had thought. Then, Fushimi decided to take action. Whipping out his phone, he dialed to the nearest hospital.

"Hello, I'm Fushimi Saruhiko from Scepter 4. We may need two ambulances very soon so please send one out now. And direct the bill to the front desk."

Turning back to the scene before him, he looked on as the girl positioned herself into an attack stance. She reached for her sword with an arm that trembled with the mere effort of reaching. Even after eating the sandwich, the girl was still half-starved with her stomach growling and grumbling. To Fushimi, she looked nothing like a dangerous Strain fox. More like a pathetic looking girl who needed some food and sleep.

In a sudden flash, metal clanged against metal as Domyoji and the girl rushed at each other with their swords. A flurry of blows ensued as the two remained equally matched. However soon, the differences between the two began to emerge. The girl's blows became weaker and her steps more hesitant. In contrast, Domyoji grew more daring, using moves that left him exposed for attack. Akiyama covered Domyoji's weak spots with a constant coolness equal to that of the captain's.

"What an interesting situation we have here. I'd have never expected a young Strain like her to put up a good fight with Domyoji and Akiyama," a calm, cold voice noted with a light laugh. It belonged to a tall figure dressed in a Scepter 4 coat.

"Captain!" Fushimi gave him a rather sour look for coming in so late. But the man, captain of Scepter 4, laughed at Fushimi's archness.

"I didn't think those two would be so willing to spring into battle. I'll have to reprimand them later for their foolishness," the captain commented, narrowing his eyes. "As members of Scepter 4, we cannot unsheathe our swords so willingly for such a small matter."

At that moment, the girl paused to catch her breath. And as she did, a painful, icy sting from Domyoji's sword hit her chest, throwing her to the floor with a thud. A scarlet bloodstain began to bloom right above her heart where Domyoji's sword had slashed her a moment before.

"Why aren't the ambulances coming yet? You're telling me that you're stuck in traffic right now? There's someone dying here right now!" Fushimi spat into the phone as he rushed over to the girl's side and attempted to ebb the flow of blood. She tried to thank him but could only muster a small smile.

"Why?" The girl whispered as she turned her gaze towards Domyoji and Akiyama with her darkening silver eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong…tell me…why…?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Aoi Chapter 6**

As the girl felt her last heartbeat and breath disappear, she also felt something else within her. An infinite source of warmth and coldness, one capable of bringing the world to its knees or healing all of its scars and open wounds. A fountain of colorful lights, all stemming from the Slates—an ultimate weapon of destruction in the form of a giant slab of intricately carved rock.

Granting people in Japan power in the form of Auras, the Slates identified individuals among those people as Kings. Those who reigned as Kings over their Clansmen believed in the Silver King as the ultimate authority over all Clans.

But in reality, there was one more authority whom most Clansmen never learned about—the Slates' vessel. Enclosed within one individual who truly understood and manipulated the Slates, the Slates' powers grew explosive and deadly. Without control and patience, the Slates' vessel could destroy the entire world through sheer power. But with discipline, the Slates' vessel became a guardian of righteous Kings and Clansmen under his or her wing.

"Do you wish to reclaim the power that is yours? You gained the right to use this power long ago. It is the last chance to fight back and show them who you are," a voice murmured from within the pitch blackness of the girl's consciousness. She hesitated for a moment, but then remembered the fleeting face within her mind. A boy with blue eyes and black hair tied back in a ponytail. One whom she promised to herself that she would find her way back to him again.

"I will reclaim what is mine," the girl responded with determination. Inside her consciousness, shimmering silver, gold, red, blue, green, grey, and colorless streaks began to flow and meld together into one colorful stream of light.

" _As wielder of the Slates, I hold the fate of the world within my hands. From each flow the Silver, Gold, Red, Blue, Green, Grey, and Colorless Auras. Each with unlimited potential and countless limitations. With this power, I will not bend to the sway of evil, but will serve the forces of destiny and good. For this world deserves to be saved and not to be razed."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Aoi Chapter 7**

Moments before the girl had accepted her hidden power, the captain had been off to the side berating Akiyama and Domyoji for their hastiness to capture the Strain.

"I didn't rescue her from the snowdrifts for her to be killed by your rashness, Domyoji, or your lapse in judgment, Akiyama." The captain shook his head as the two bowed in shame for their mistakes.

Fushimi remained where he was and held the girl's lifeless body. It seemed strange for him to be so sentimental, but Fushimi never really hated children to the point of throwing them aside after they had died.

When Fushimi checked for the girl's pulse, his eyes widened as he noticed the pulse had returned. Not a feeble pulse, but a steady beat. He let out a sigh of relief before turning to the captain.

"Captain, she's alive. I'll go contact the ambulances right now to come—" Fushimi reported as the girl opened her eyes and grabbed his hand with a vice-like grip.

" _Don't call them here, you fool. I need to settle things with those two_!" The girl hissed with golden snake-like slits before releasing Fushimi's reddening wrist. She stood up, brushed her robe off, and glanced coolly over towards Akiyama and Domyoji who froze in horror.

" _You'll regret the pain you've caused to my master. I never knew that Scepter 4 members were this disrespectful_ ," the girl scoffed. Her eyes flicked over to the captain standing nearby. " _Is that Munakata Reisi I see? Haven't seen you for a while, Blue King. You need to do better with your subordinates_."

Munakata smiled down at her curiously before giving her a slight bow of respect. "Apologies. I learned of their actions after I had finished my meeting with Awashima-kun. Rest assured, they will receive full punishment. But won't you sit down andtalk with us about reparations?"

" _I believe it is time for me to leave. And perhaps, I will go destroy Tokyo on my way out. It doesn't seem to be a pleasant place to stay after all that my master has been through. You can sit here and have your calm talk with yourselves_." The girl smashed through the glass windows and broke through the force field before reaching open air. Upon reaching the outside, she suddenly vanished in a wisp of air.

"This is going to be a bigger mess than anticipated, but we need to prevent her from harming Tokyo. Akiyama and Domyoji, gather the Special Duty Corps. Fushimi, tell the ambulances to stay put. We'll keep in contact with them if anyone gets hurt," Munakata ordered, pushing his glasses up his nose. In a moment, he readied himself for battle by summoning his Sword of Damocles.

"What an interesting notion. I think I'll play this game with you, Strain." Munakata laughed quietly as he looked out the broken windows at the clear blue sky.


	8. Chapter 8

**Aoi Chapter 8**

After escaping Scepter 4, the girl had no idea where to go next. She somehow managed to break through the force field, but knew that she had to get further away from the Scepter 4 headquarters.

The girl continued running as far into the city as her feet could take her, but she soon realized that she was running barefoot when a stray piece of glass pierced the bottom of her left foot. Falling to the ground with a soft cry, she pulled herself over to the shadows of an abandoned alleyway as she heard members of Scepter 4 run by.

"We'll be splitting up and dividing Tokyo into the sections as we had discussed before. Make sure you don't fight with the Strain one on one. She looks like a young girl with black hair and silver eyes, but she's a skilled fighter. Dismissed!" Akiyama shouted, causing the Special Duty Corps members to run in different directions. In the alleyway, the girl ripped off a bit of her robe and wrapped it around her left foot to stop the bleeding. She stood up and tried to walk a step, causing her to wince in pain. Running was no longer an option. Sitting herself down, the girl tried to huddle within the shadows to avoid being seen, but found a familiar person waiting for her right behind her. His ruffled black hair looked messier than before, but his black glasses still framed his still blue eyes.

"Are you alright? Here, let me help with your foot," Fushimi offered with a straight face. The girl gave him a suspicious look before he frowned and sighed, "I promise I'm trying to help you. You don't have to understand why, but I am even though I'm a Scepter 4 member."

Giving him her foot, the girl settled onto the ground and winced as Fushimi redressed her foot with bandages. He even gave her a pair of tennis shoes to wear to protect her feet from sharp objects again. Then, Fushimi looked into her eyes and gave her instructions on how to get out.

"Exit this alleyway and then head east until you reach the mountains. Don't look back or slow down for any reason whatsoever. We're very good at capture missions as an organization, but you have enough agility and power to escape as long as you keep moving forward." He disappeared into the darkness, leaving the girl by herself in the empty alleyway.

"Thanks, Saruhiko-nii-san," she whispered to the shadows before dashing out into the sunlight.


End file.
